Whether in rainy season or dry, people of Kathmandu valley suffer from the shortage of drinking water. Due to the old and unscientific water distribution network, valley dwellers get unequal water supply. People living in lower altitudes luckily get regular water, and those residing in higher areas hardly get water once a week. With the growth of the population, a big gap has appeared between the demand and supply of water in Kathmandu. The demand is 367 million liters per day (MLD) while Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) can provide only 132 MLD in wet season and 94 MLD in dry season.
Water sources are limited in the valley; and underground water is drying up due to cemented yards, drains, and black-topped roads. Personal wells are drying up, the water level for tube wells is getting deeper, and the practice of rainwater harvesting is not common. The long queues of children and women around public taps and beside KUKL’s water delivery van signal acute crisis of water supply.
REPUBLICA
Concerning the crisis, since 1973 the government has been trying to find the best solution to meet the demands of the valley’s rapidly growing population. In the process, Melamchi Water Supply Development Board (MWSDB) had appeared as the best long term solution. The plan to harness Melamchi began in 2001 in coordination between the government of Nepal and Asian Development Bank. Six years after project commencement, ADB and Government of Nepal changed the scope of the project implementation arrangement by splitting MWSP into two distinct sub projects, Melamchi River water Diversion and Kathmandu Valley Water Supply and Sanitation. The responsibility of implementing sub-project 2 had been transferred from MWSDB to a water utility operator named Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL).
roject Implementation Directorate (PID) handles the implementation of sub project 2. The aim of PID is to develop necessary infrastructure, replace old spaghetti style water distribution system with a new network, and expand equitable and sustainable water supply in Kathmandu. About 700 kilometers of pipe will be laid in Kathmandu Valley.
Sundarijal, Mahankal Chaur, Chapagaon, Pharping, Jhormahankal, Chahare, Bode, Mahadevkhola, Manamaiju are among the existing water sources used by KUKL. Expansion and rehabilitation work have been successfully implemented in a few of them but not in others due to local disputes over the rights to local sources based on ILO 169. Successful implementation of projects is not possible without a positive attitude and cooperation from the local people. Most consumers do not know of the obstacles faced by the concerned authority in diverting water from the source. It’s easy to blame the authorities, but reality is more complicated. Haphazardly designed underground sewage, drainage, telephone lines, electric poles, construction of houses, land acquisition, traffic jam during construction, and community disputes often create hurdles in the construction. In some areas, local water user groups do not cooperate with the authorities in dismantling their old water distribution systems and replacing them with new ones. Community members and local clubs often obstruct construction work with unjustifiable demands like cash donation, road maintenance and school construction, though they know that they are not the PID’s responsibility.
PID aims to provide individual water connections to citizens, especially to poor households and households headed by women. The existing water supply system does not meet the water demand of the people. The installed pipes are old and rusty, not hygienic, and 37 to 50 percent of water leaks before arriving at its destination. After in-depth study, network water supply system is designed, and examples of it were demonstrated in New Baneshwar, Kusunti and Ratopul. Sabal Bahal, Teku of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward no. 24 could be an area where PID’s Immediate Improvement Package can be applied. This area is mostly occupied by so-called lower caste people. There are 125 households in the area, many of which have water pipelines in their houses. But since the last 10 years, they have not got water through these pipelines. KUKL distributed water to this community through its tankers, but only after efforts from PID/KUKL and the local community. Presently, they receive water in their household taps.
Underground sewage, electric poles, houses, traffic, and local disputes create hurdles in the construction of water pipe lines.
PID has selected a special team for technical work and social work for the successful implementation of the project. Community Awareness and Participation Plan (CAPP) and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Action Plan are being implemented in its project areas. It is also preparing a community profile for each area through socio-economic surveys. PID has increased the participation and mobilization of people through ward citizen groups, Tole organizations, local NGOs, user’s group, women’s groups, civil society organizations, schools, and general public residing in the project area. CAPC will be providing training for rain water harvesting at the community level, and trainings for good waste management, water conservation and individual house connections at household levels.
The Melamchi Water Supply Project is becoming a challenging project for sustainable water supply in Kathmandu. Infrastructure construction is progressing in different parts of the valley for diversion and distribution of Melamchi water. Without infrastructure development, it is not possible to provide proper and equitable water supply system to valley dwellers. Presently, three Chinese and one Italian company are competing for the new contract to build the Melamchi tunnel. The project has kicked off, but due to China Railway 15 Bureau Group’s inefficiency, construction of a tunnel has halted. Till date, 6.2 out of 26.5 kilometers of the tunnel have been completed. The government of Nepal has rescheduled the completion date to March 2016.
The expected contract period will be 36 months. As soon as the contractor selection process ends, a final memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed with the new contractor. Nothing is impossible, positive thinking and support from all stakeholders can make things better in the future.
The author is a sociologist
girithejorba@gmail.com
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